So I convinced my wife to skip the hugely over priced washer/dryer pedastals by convincing her I could build the same out of wood for considerably cheaper, or at least for around the same price, including purchasing the proper equipment which I would then own forever. I know what you're thinking, and honestly I don't know how she fell for it either, thats the oldest trick in the man book. I know very well by the time I get done buying what I need I will have at least twice as much invested... but I digress.

So far I have purchased a 15 gauge finish nailer, 18 gauge brad nailer, and a 12" sliding compound miter saw of the harbor freight variety (don't judge me, I'm on a budget!). I already own a circular saw.

Which brings me to my first saw question. I am sure the stock blade that came with the miter and circular saw will not be up to snuff for finish work. What is a good value brand for saw blades for rip cuts as well as cross cuts? I have seen the Diablo brand recomended on these boards. I was thinking an 80 tooth for the miter and something with less teeth for ripping. Same for the circular saw. I would like good clean cuts (don't know why I felt the need to state that).

I am planning to use mdf for the pedastal, since it will be painted.

I also thought I had what I needed to begin construction... then I discovered rabbets and dados. So now I need a router. I'm still researching this one.

Thanks for any and all advice.

Eddie

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Firstly, welcome to the forum! You picked out quite a challenge!
Don't want to rain on the parade, since I've been where are you are--couple of things to consider:
1. the washer and dryer bolt onto the pedestals- don't know if you realized that yet.
2. with normal operation/vibration, etc they will move off a pedestal that they are just sitting on, most likely the washer first.
3. If you're going to put the utility drawers in the base, you'll have to learn to measure and install drawer slides.

Best to look at how/what you need to fasten them.
i ended up watching scratch/dent sales to get pedestals for ours.
Dave H

Get the bases done for the washer & dryer. The 80 will cut anything you can imagine. Finish, framing, BBQ apple wood, you name it.
MDF will shoot spark which suggests that there's dirt and/or sand mixed into the goo = boards.
Why use MDF ? Huh? It explodes to go mushy if it ever gets wet. Use wood. Real wood. That's what it's for. MDF is "floor sweepings". Real wood won't discombooberate if wet. That's a big wood working term for = "it disintegrates."

Real wood seems to paint OK, looking at the outside of my three houses.

I made my own pedestal bases out of 2x4, 2x6 construction lumber for the frame and birch plywood for the panel and drawer fronts.

Be aware these washers can have overload/oversud vents on the inside which will spill water. I found out the hard way.

MDF should NOT be used. Even when painted, water will get in and then the MDF will come apart.

Construction lumber is not expensive and it will not weaken if / when exposed to water. Make a frame, rout a groove for a panel, and put 1/2in or 3/4in birch ply in the frame. I designed my frame to normally be supporting the machines, not the plywood panel.

Get a plastic tray to put under the washer. This helped to minimize water on the floor, but we still get some from time to time.

If you do not screw your washer to the pedestal, keep and eye on the position. Mine is not screwed down. It is constrained as to how far it can move side to side, but I watch to ensure it does not move too far to the front.

A full sheet of MDF weighs a ton anyways. You can manage real wood boards in the trunk of your car. Maybe post a photo of the area in question and we can help design a solution that will work with your minimal selection of tools.

Go out and buy a Kreg jig if you are just getting started. Helps a ton with projects like these. Finish nails are for holding trim in place not holding framing together that has a wash and dryer on it.

These could be simply made with two sides and a back. For the front just wood stretchers connecting the sides at the top and the bottom. The inside corners at the bottom and at the top can be fortified with triangulated corner gussets...which could be just plywood.

Then what you have is a box that you could add drawers to. The top corner gussets can be used to bolt the machines to the box. For whatever faces that will be seen, you could just make slab drawer fronts, and cover the remaining sides with ╝" hardwood plywood or a veneer, or a Formica type laminate.

FWIW, Family Handyman magazine did a feature some time ago that dealt with constructing washing machine pedestals. i would contact them and either buy the issue that had the article or buy the plans. BTW, +1 here on no MDF. it's not known for it's structural integrity and it doesn't like water (DAMHIKT). the best project result starts with the best product plan.

Firstly, welcome to the forum! You picked out quite a challenge!
Don't want to rain on the parade, since I've been where are you are--couple of things to consider:
1. the washer and dryer bolt onto the pedestals- don't know if you realized that yet.
2. with normal operation/vibration, etc they will move off a pedestal that they are just sitting on, most likely the washer first.
3. If you're going to put the utility drawers in the base, you'll have to learn to measure and install drawer slides.

Best to look at how/what you need to fasten them.
i ended up watching scratch/dent sales to get pedestals for ours.
Dave H

I built pedestals for mine and they aren't bolted on and haven't budged. Great way to save money. The store bought one are way over priced.

Lots of good advice. Message received on the MDF. I just figured it was cheap and easily paintable. Home Depot also carries something called "common board" as well as pine. I will also scout Lowes. Where do you guys typically score your premium grades of wood?

never heard of "common board" maybe white wood?? lowes here (NC) carries some pretty good poplar I've used for stuff, but beware its true 3/4", whereas if you went to a bigger supply place, like a wholesale place where the big guys go, there stuff is gonna be a little thicker than 3/4", like 13/16". found this out the hard way when i tried to use a scrae peice of maple from my dad in law's shop to finish a face frame! Poplar would be a good choice I would think. as for the drawer slides i'd be glad to help ya lay them out just shoot me a pm! if the washer/dryer came with a schematic of where the bolt holes are, that'd be a great tool to start with so you could decide where to put your cross bracing in the top of the boxes to match up with where the bolts need to be. hope this helps

I purchase construction lumber (softwoods) and sheet goods from the big box stores.

I purchase hardwood boards from a local mill. Rough cut and I plane it myself.

For clamps, the least expensive are pipe clamps. I would get the 3/4in size. The 1/2in will flex too much. I like to use these with black iron pipe. Use a pipe coupler on the end instead of the provided spring. Then you can join two pipe clamps together to make a longer clamp when needed.

The challenge with clamps is that you can use a long clamp with a short piece, but it is clumsy.

Having some quick release clamps is very useful especially since you can apply one handed.

As someone who was in your exact position only 8 years ago, I know what you're going through. I can tell you though that the need to buy more tools only gets stronger and my first Harbor Freight miter saw has now turned into a workshop that includes every tool imaginable. The only downside is you will NEVER again buy anything made of wood. Your list of projects will grow and grow which will require more and more tools. Sounds awesome right!

I built something similar and personally I think you should stay away from MDF, its not even that much cheaper than plywood and its has a lot of downside. I would build a nice solid frame out of wood studs, buy a 4x8 sheet of good quality 1/2" plywood ($35 from the depot) cut it up and cover the frame. The plywood will add ridgidity to the frame keeping it from rocking when you hit the spin cycle.

I would recommend putting some braces in the middle of the stand so it isnt just a hollow box that will amplify any sound that enters it. You might also think of putting some peel and stick carpet squares on the top of the stand and painting just the sides.

Those stands run anywhere from $150-$200 and I think you could knock this one out for less than $60 with left over wood for another project.

I took the advice above and I went out and bought a Kreg Jig complete system since I figured it would help out seeing as I'm a rookie. At some point I do want to graduate to rabbets and dados though. I also picked up a 12" dewalt 96 tooth blade for my miter saw (at more than half the cost of the Harbor Freight saw I'm putting it on, haha). I played with the saw for a bit today learning the different cutting angles on some old 2x4s with the stock blade. I found out that you can miter or bevel to achieve the same thing, though mitering is easier. I'm questioning my decision to lay out more cash, albeit not much, for the larger saw.

I went by Lowes and they had by far more options as far as wood goes than Home Depot. They were also priced per board instead of per foot, which makes estimating costs and materials easier.

My first project is going to be a fireplace mantel made from poplar and trimmed out. I've already cut out the sheetrock and used the Kreg Jig to install a few horizontal cleats in between the studs to give myself something to attach the mantel to. Tommorrow I will be purchasing the materials. Whats the best way to fill the holes left by the brad nails?

I've got the rough plan for how I am going to frame out the washer/dryer pedastals using the Kreg, but I have a question on covering the frame with plywood. What is the best way to get nice, clean, straight cuts with a circular saw? I have always been shakey at best with one of these. Also I am due for a new 7 1/4" blade, what is recomended for ripping and cutting 3/4" plywood to create clean edges? Can one blade do both?

One drawback to my new hobby is I now find myself reverse engineering every piece of furniture that I come in contact with. Even worse, my wife is doing it too. The list has grown into bookshelfs, toy boxes, entertainment centers, garage cabinents, etc. I bought a few tools and now my wife seems to think I can build anything she sees on Pinterest.

there all a million different kinds of "straight edge" type things that can be clamped to sheet goods to hold your saw straight, some let the skil saw ride in a groove in the middle, some let it ride against the side, etc. if you have access to anything (metal ie wont warp) nice and straight and a couple little C Clamps, you could make your own. Its just about figuring out the distance from the side of your saw to the blade. just keep in mind that one side will have more tear out, so keep that in mind when choosing the pretty side. a good 65-80 tooth blade will handle any decent veneer ply without too much tearing. hope this helps, and congrats on all the new equipment, before you know it you will have more stuff than you could have ever thought possible!! I Love my kreg jig though, i've been working at a professional shop for two years, on the side for longer than that, and I have yet to use any other method for building! oh and one more thing, kreg screws can break your bank if you use a lot, check out rockler.com or other wood working sites, they sell the same style pocket screws much much cheaper

What is the best way to get nice, clean, straight cuts with a circular saw?

Make one of these. It doesn't take much time or money, and as long as you pay attention when clamping it, you'll get straight, accurate cuts all day long.

When I make mine, I have the big box store rip a factory edge off the plywood, and use that edge as my guiding edge (the 2-inch piece mentioned in step 2). That way I know the guide edge is straight. When you make your trim pass on the guide, the edge will be trimmed straight as well.

Thanks all for the advice and anecdotes. Attached is my current work in progress which is my fireplace mantel. It is made from poplar I bought at lowes. I still need to finish up the left column. I needed to cut a hole for my fireplace gas valve, so I cut it with a 1 inch hole saw, but I managed to crack the board while trying to force the cap into place. Live and learn. It also still needs to be trimmed. Total cost will be about $150 after paint.

This is my other work in progress. It is a pedestal for my wife's new washer/dryer. It will be covered with 3/4 inch maple plywood and face framed with poplar, unless I get real good at making straight cuts with the circular saw, then I'll also use maple. It will also be home to 2 24 inch deep soft stop drawers will ball bearing slides.

It is currently dry fitted and ended up an 1/8th of an inch taller than it should have been. It also isnt perfectly sqaure, the top and bottom are out of square about an eigth of an inch. I don't know how much heart burn this will cause until I sheath it.